Selling blood collection tubes in Egypt: a distributor and importer for manufacturers
Last verified:
Egypt has no tariff line that names blood collection tubes, so duty depends on the line the broker defends: 5% as a prepared reagent (3822.19) or 2% or 10% as plastic articles (3926.90), with 0% for EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish goods on 3822.19 and 3926.90.50.90 (official tariff, NAFEZA). EDA treats specimen receptacles, vacuum-type or not, as in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices, so a blood collection tube manufacturer needs an IVD marketing licence, and the first three batches imported after it are analysed by EDA, each held until its result (EDA IVD rules). There is no separate import figure for tubes; blood-collection needles share HS 9018.32, of which Egypt imported US$12.60 million in 2024, China the largest origin (World Bank WITS).
Buying in Egypt?
Hospitals, labs and clinics in Egypt can order from the UltraTeb online shop.
Go to the UltraTeb shopA manufacturer or exporter?
Supply your products to Egypt — and from there to Africa and the Middle East — with UltraTeb Market Access.
Apply — 2 minutesUltraTeb Market Access is a zero-upfront-fee route into Egypt's medical market: UltraTeb registers, imports, markets, stores and sells your product, shares the risk, and pays you when it sells.
Buying blood collection tubes in Egypt? Laboratories and hospitals can browse the lab and diagnostics section of UltraTeb's B2B web shop and ask for a quote: lab and diagnostics supplies on shop.ultrateb.com. The rest of this page is for manufacturers who want to sell in Egypt.
What are the key facts for blood collection tubes in Egypt?
| Fact | Value | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS codes | No Egyptian line names blood collection tubes. Candidates: 3822.19.00.00 prepared diagnostic or laboratory reagents (tubes with additives or anticoagulants); 3926.90.50.90 or 3926.90.90.90 plastic articles (plain tubes and holders); 9018.32.00.90 blood-collection needles; 9018.90.99.85 sterile bags for collecting, storing and transfusing blood (blood bags, adjacent). The tube line needs a broker ruling | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import duty (MFN) | Depends on classification: 3822.19.00.00 5%; 3926.90.50.90 2%; 3926.90.90.90 10%; blood-collection needles 9018.32.00.90 2%; blood bags 9018.90.99.85 5%. Get a binding classification before pricing | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import duty with a trade agreement | 0% for EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish origin on 3822.19, 3926.90.50.90, 9018.32 and 9018.90.99.85. MERCOSUR: 50% reduction on 3822.19, 100% on 9018.32 and 9018.90. AfCFTA: 80% or 40% reduction. Serbia: 10% (3822.19), 25% (9018.32, 9018.90) or 100% (3926.90.50) reduction | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import VAT | Tubes, needles and holders: 14% (conservative reading). Law 149 of 2026 added a 5% rate for medical devices used to provide services; whether tubes qualify is not confirmed, so we confirm your product's rate before pricing. Blood bags: VAT-exempt (0%), on the official tariff line and in the VAT law's exempt list | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| EDA route | Tubes: IVD route — registration, then a 5-year marketing licence; the product must be circulated in the country of origin or a reference country, and the outer pack must carry the Egyptian registration number. Blood-collection needles, holders and blood bags follow the medical-device route (sterile items are registered before release) | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Pending-file window (IVD) | Items not yet circulated may be sold for 6 months from the first import approval while the licence file is pending | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Typical class | Tubes: IVD (Class A specimen receptacle under the EU IVDR, our reading). Blood-collection needles: Class IIa. Blood bags: Class IIb, or Class III if they contain an anticoagulant that is a medicinal substance | health.ec.europa.eu | |
| Trap: first three batches tested | EDA samples and analyses the first three batches of each registered IVD and holds each batch until the result is issued — plan stock and shelf life for the delay | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Trap: classification | No Egyptian line names blood collection tubes; 2%, 5% or 10% duty depends on the line the broker defends | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Trap: blood bags need a second approval | Customs rule ق4510 on 9018.90.99.85: release of blood bags needs Weights and Measures (Assay and Weights Authority) approval on top of EDA approval | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Trap: no non-sterile bulk | Blood-contact items are not released as non-sterile bulk (gloves excepted), which matters for any local-packing or OEM plan | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Egypt needle imports, 2024 (HS 9018.32, shared line) | No separate figure exists for tubes, which may sit in 3822, 3926.90 or 9018. Blood-collection needles share HS 9018.32: US$12.60 million, China 8.40M, India 2.31M; the line also holds hypodermic and suture needles | wits.worldbank.org | 2024 |
| Search demand we measured | 'ivd distributor' 70 searches a month, worldwide (Google Keyword Planner, UltraTeb measurement) — a generic IVD term, not specific to tubes | ads.google.com |
Duty and VAT from Egypt's official tariff (NAFEZA, Ministry of Finance single window). IVD route from EDA's IVD registration rules; device route from EDA's import-approval guideline. Trade values are Egypt-reported CIF imports for the whole HS6 line (UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITS), not only medical use. Last verified 2026-09-25.
Last verified:
What does it take to sell blood collection tubes in Egypt?
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Have the certificates ready
For tubes, CE under the EU IVDR (Class A, self-declared) or a legacy IVDD Declaration of Conformity; for needles, CE (MDR) Class IIa; for blood bags, Class IIb or III. Add ISO 13485:2016, a Free Sale Certificate, ISO 6710 for venous blood containers, ISO 3826-1 for blood bags, sterility validation (ISO 11137) for sterile-interior tubes and ISO 10993 for needles and bags.
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Show the tubes are on the market elsewhere
EDA's IVD rules require the product to be circulated in the country of origin or a reference country. A Free Sale Certificate from a non-reference country is legalised before filing.
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Get the IVD licence
The tubes are filed on the IVD route and receive a 5-year marketing licence; the outer pack carries the Egyptian registration number. Items not yet circulated may be sold for 6 months from the first import approval while the file is pending.
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Plan stock for the first three batches
EDA samples and analyses the first three batches imported after the licence and releases each only after its result, so the first shipments need enough stock and shelf life to cover the hold.
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Import, classify and clear
Each shipment needs a prior EDA import approval (customs rule غ4017 on 3822.19.00.00). Agree the tariff line with the broker — 2%, 5% or 10% duty, 0% with a valid EU, UK, EFTA or Turkish proof of origin on most lines — then import VAT.
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Sell to the right buyers
Private laboratory chains and hospital laboratories, private hospitals, UPA public tenders where the product can compete on price, and blood banks for blood bags.
Who buys blood collection tubes in Egypt?
- UPA tenders and framework call-offs. Since financial year 2025/26 these are tripartite contracts: the Unified Procurement Authority (UPA) issues the order and the requesting public hospital pays.
- Ministry of Health and university hospitals, buying through UPA.
- Universal Health Insurance and Health Insurance Organization facilities.
- Private hospital groups and private hospitals.
- Private laboratory chains and hospital laboratories.
- Blood banks and the National Blood Transfusion Services, for blood bags.
Why are blood collection tubes registered like diagnostics in Egypt?
Because EDA's IVD rules say that specimen receptacles, whether vacuum-type or not, are in vitro diagnostic medical devices (EDA IVD rules). That puts the tubes on the IVD route, not the device route used for the needles and holders that go with them: a 5-year marketing licence, the Egyptian registration number on the outer pack, and EDA analysis of the first three batches, each held until its result.
So we plan the first shipments around that testing — enough stock to cover the hold and dating long enough to survive it — and we agree the tariff line with the broker before we price, because the same tube can pay 2%, 5% or 10% duty. See the IVD registration guide.
How does UltraTeb Market Access sell your blood collection tubes?
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Free market study and pricing
We check demand for your tubes in laboratories and hospitals, settle the likely tariff line first, and price for private labs and, where they can compete, UPA tenders.
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IVD and device registration, end to end
We file the tubes on EDA's IVD route and the needles, holders or bags on the device route, tell you which certificates need legalising, and plan the first-three-batch testing with you.
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Import, customs, duty and VAT
The import approval before every shipment, ACI and CargoX coordination, a tariff line agreed with the broker, clearance, and the duty and VAT paid by us. We tell you which origin document gets EU, UK, EFTA or Turkish goods in at 0%.
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Warehousing by lot and expiry
Stored and picked first-expiry-first-out, including batches on hold for EDA testing, with your stock visible to you at all times.
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Marketing and distribution
Arabic and English product pages on shop.ultrateb.com and campaigns once EDA advertising approval is in place, our sales team calling on laboratories and hospitals, and bids in UPA tenders where your product can compete.
“Diagnostics take patience in Egypt. We fund the registration and carry the wait with you, and we are only paid when your tubes sell.” — Mohamed Dabees, founder, UltraTeb
Frequently asked questions
What import duty do blood collection tubes pay in Egypt?
It depends on the tariff line, because none names the tubes: 5% under 3822.19.00.00, 2% under 3926.90.50.90 or 10% under 3926.90.90.90. EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish goods enter at 0% on 3822.19 and 3926.90.50.90 (official tariff, NAFEZA). Get a binding classification before pricing.
Is VAT charged on blood collection tubes?
The conservative reading is 14% for tubes, needles and holders. Law 149 of 2026 added a 5% rate for medical devices used to provide services, but whether tubes qualify is not confirmed, so we confirm your product's rate before we price it. Blood bags are VAT-exempt.
Are blood collection tubes medical devices or IVDs in Egypt?
IVDs. EDA's rules treat specimen receptacles, vacuum-type or not, as in vitro diagnostic devices, so the tubes get a 5-year marketing licence and EDA analyses the first three batches imported after it, releasing each only after the result (EDA IVD rules).
Can tubes be sold while the IVD licence file is pending?
EDA's IVD rules allow items not yet circulated to be sold for 6 months from the first import approval while the licence file is pending. We plan the filing and the first shipments with that window in mind.
Do my certificates need to be legalised?
A Free Sale Certificate from a country that is not an EDA reference country is legalised, and the tubes must already be circulated in the country of origin or a reference country. See EDA reference countries.
Do blood bags follow the same rules?
No. Blood bags (9018.90.99.85) follow the medical-device route, are Class IIb (or III with a medicinal anticoagulant), are VAT-exempt, and need Weights and Measures approval for release under customs rule ق4510 on top of EDA approval.
Who pays for registration, duty and VAT with UltraTeb Market Access?
We do. Registration, import, duty and VAT, storage and marketing are funded by UltraTeb, and you are paid when your goods sell.
Where can buyers in Egypt order blood collection tubes?
Laboratories and hospitals can ask for a quote in the lab and diagnostics section of UltraTeb's B2B web shop: lab and diagnostics supplies on shop.ultrateb.com.
Sell your blood collection tubes in Egypt — with zero upfront fees.
Send us your product and certificates. We check demand, the tariff line and the IVD route in a free market study, then register, import, store, market and sell. You're paid when we sell.